Founded by Azharod Aurea-Tarzath Varakhul-Vendaran, Vanguard of the Tempest Isle - on the 5th Day, of the 50th Week, of the 11th Year of the Common Age of Man.

--- ~(Introduction: )~ ---

"The Arkhonos was a blind Prophet who united the Arkh Imperium. A thousand years of peace reigned as the Imperium enveloped culture and faith alike - each respected and allowed to flourish beneath the laws of Vox Stellarum.

City-states rose across the continents as tribes were elevated by the welcoming wisdom of Arkhonos.

Centuries came and went without war, as First Ones flourished beside their brothers of Second Creed. Slavery became a thing of the past as xenophobia and prejudice bled away.

Countless faiths ascended - side by side - as the Arkhonos embraced each culture as beloved Children. So long as they respected its ancient laws, they would co-exist as all and one."

-Excerpt from the Fable of Heaven's Gate

--- (Dictum: ) ---

"That which is thus imparted, in retrospect returneth. He who dishonors another shall face his crimes upon the self: The weight of insult carried upon one's shoulder; the mark of harm borne upon one's flesh. The letting of blood, thus flowing, so shall in retribution. The theft of one's labors - paid in pacts of flesh and gold. Whosoever dares impose ideology by force, shall be stripped of their right to practice. All Creeds remain equal - afforded opportunity and respect, so long as they reciprocate in truth. Slander shall be met by duel of blades or wisdom: as chosen by the slandered. He who wars against another shall do so under clear pretext: demands and complaints set forth in stone, lest they face just retaliation."

-Excerpt from the Code of Nam-Ur

--- ~( GoldenAge of Enlightenment: )~ ---

Without inhibitions, trade routes sprung up to facilitate the spread of knowledge from the Great Library of Kye'raeon - the city of Heaven's Gate. Grand pilgrimage ran from every corner of the known world, as a Golden Age of Enlightenment foundered on.

Rich silks and bolts of cloth colored the once ashen lands with a splendor of vivid color.

Exotic flora spread across the lands, carefully cultivated to coexist with native life. A cornucopia of splendor seeded every forest and field, until the very lands shone with all the flavors of life resplendent.

Countless fauna were introduced to new lands, bringing horses, cattle, pigs, chickens, turkey, elephants, tigers, and even more exotic organisms to once-isolated tribes.

Disease was quashed by the newly-founded Imperial Medicus Scholae, extending the life-span of once fleeting Second Ones who grew wise beside First One creed.

From the holy city of Kye'raeon, to the steaming jungles of Akh-Va'ar, to the towering mountains of Khär Vëga, to the slumbering archipelagoes of Akrön: civilization sprung from what once lay fallow, as Mankind spread to the very ends of the Earth.

--- ~( ShadowsFromWithin: )~ ---

...Until the barbarous Akh-Va'ari - so accustomed to warlike mannerisms, forced servitude, and xenophobic isolationism - scoffed in the face of unity. For countless generations, their sons and daughters called the Imperium home: and yet, many held no respect nor adherence to the laws of Vox Stellarum.

They demanded protection of Arkhonos against so-called "erosion of the Akh-Va'ari way of life", for theirs was a culture of violence, prejudice, and isolation. And so, His Reverence listened: he declared Akh-Va'ar off-limits to the peoples of the Imperium - and stripped Akh-Va'ari Second Ones of Imperial protection. And yet... The Akh-Va'ar were not satisfied.

They spat in the face of reciprocation, as some viewed their laws to be unjust and banned their presence outright. The Tribes of Akh-Va'ar demanded the right to inhabit other lands, and be afforded equal right by Akh-Va'ar law - and so, the Arkhonos listened. Other cultures were forbidden from disallowing entrance of Akh-Va'ari, nor freeing their slaves, and yet no Imperial citizen could so much as walk the fabled jungles of Akh-Va'ar. Humble empathy, in the face of inflexible co-existence, seeded the Imperium with a great disdain of foreign culture.

In time, xenophobia gave root to conflict. When the last tear was shed, the last shred of compassion forsaken, and the last humor faded, many Akh-Va'ari citizens of Imperium proved turncoat. From Senators, to merchants, to members of the Royal Vanguard, Akh-Va'ari rebelled in unison - breeding chaos across countless nations.

Most infamous of these, Vanguard traitor Mikhën Öbheron - leader of the Black Order of Akh-Va'ar - beheaded the Arkhonos and set flame to the holy city of Kye'raeon - once known as "Heaven's Gate".

Without a humble voice of guiding light, decadence and rivalry sundered the might of Imperium as tyrant after tyrant sought to claim its bounty. One day, the Gods could face no more.

--- ~( Divine Retribution: )~ ---

The sea is said to have boiled with wroth as towering waves crashed upon the sparkling walls of Kye'raeon - dragging countless to their death as the waves retreated in unison.

The sun blazed in righteous fury, burning the bountiful fields of Khemëreth and Khär Vëga as the Imperium starved.

Pestilence arose in the face of starvation, culling the once-sprawling cities of Arkh, until cobbled streets lay stained by the blood of dead and dying. Akrön, the Rim of the World, housed the Auru'in creed. They were the last to fall, for geography allowed an air of isolation from Imperium proper. Yet, their relative comfort could not last.

With the Imperium dead, trade ground to a halt. Rich silks and bolts of cloth ceased production. Exotic fruits and diverse fauna grew extinct. Vital ores and alloys ceased production as industry decayed. Disease raged rampant as the last Imperial Medicus died of plague - First Creed thus forced to labor without the aid of Second Ones.

Without recourse, the great city-states of Akrön faded from history: devolving into tiny First Ones tribes clinging to the surface of a broken world.

--- ~( Memoriam: )~ ---

Today, Arkh is but the shadow of a memory - a testament to what Man can achieve in the name of empathy, humility, and mutual respect.

A thousand years later, the Auru'in dynasty seeks to return to the Old Ways, casting aside the barbarity of Thorbrandr clans who descend from surviving Akh-Va'ari - in favor of an all-encompassing union of faiths and cultures beneath a universal banner of brotherhood.

The Arkhonos Initiative was born from the ashes of Arrakesh and Sarantium - the culmination of a great disconnect from the cultures who birthed their dynasties. For too long, the south lay slumbered. Shattered in the midst of decadence, cities grown quiet as field after field lay fallow. Pitiful Second Ones grown complacent in abandonment of the First Creed.

A rich tapestry of culture - dethroned by the infinite cascade of Time immemorial. Merciless, spirited away by the inevitable loss of everything once held dear. Kings and Emperors, warriors and clergymen, fallen to the blight of slumber evermore.

...Slain in their bedchambers, feasting halls, and the fallow fields. Cut down without a word - so great a dishonor to our sacred bloodlines.

Such dishonor shall not stand. No more shall honored First Ones be slain unawares, unable to face trial for their crimes or compassion for their illness.

"those who forsake the past are doomed to repeat its crimes."

Like a slumberingPhoenix, the Arkhonos shall rise from the ashes of what was before - for glorious were the days of empire.

Arise, Sons and Daughters of the Creed: take back your thrones, and sow wide the seeds of IMPERIUM!

I'm merging into the Confed. Not what I had planned, but I only have about 2k troops globally and can't be assed wasting my time fighting over land.

We made an agreement where I will spawn a char as the Arkhonos reborn, who will be the religious head of new Sarantium. Arrakesh will join, Kenos might, and just right there, the nation will be damn powerful.

The Black Order is semi-connected, though we're considering setting up an Ordos of our own in the Confed, styled after the Varangian Guard - which will naturally bicker with the Black Order, which is more like the Inquisition.